Antartica
Who are you flying for currently?
I am a General Utility at HNZ in Antartica
Where are you flying and for what company?
I currently fly for Soloy Helicopters in Alaska and also for Helicopters New Zealand in Antarctica.
What kind of helicopter(s) do you fly?
AS350 and AS355 Astars and twinstars (squirrels and twin squirrels for the New Zealanders).
Tell us about your career path.
My career started in Nelson New Zealand working for a general utility company operating an R44. From there I moved to another New Zealand company flying larger helicopters AS350 and AS355 in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Since flying in New Zealand I have been lucky enough to do seasonal contracts in Canada, Alaska and Antarctica. I studied at Mauna Loa Helicopters to change my New Zealand commercial licence to an American Licence.
What do you find unique, challenging, or fulfilling about your job?
A challenging aspect of my job would be working in remote area’s, fuel logistics and weather are some major factors. The fulfilling part of my job is being able to see some amazing places in the world not many people get to see, also having a client walk away from a job smiling and happy.
Do you have any other comments or suggestions for those just beginning in the industry?
If you have the passion and dedication you will succeed.
